Global gender gap stays slightly diminished

According to the recent report by the World Economic Forum, the figures on the global gender gap show that there is a slight progress in adjusting gender disparities in the workplace, political exposure, access to medical services, education. Nevertheless, it will still take about 200 years to bridge the gap.

The figures reveal that the gender gap was closed by 68 per cent as indicated by four listed key criteria i.e. the economic opportunity, political empowerment, educational attainment, and health and survival.

The report suggests progress only regarding the economic opportunity in 2018. The narrowing in the latter can be attributed to a lessening of an income gap between men and women, almost 51 per cent in 2018, whereas the number of women in top jobs accounted for 34 per cent globally.

Women also are under-represented in sectors of the digital revolution that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills and knowledge.

The year-on-year downturn in political empowerment can be partly due to fewer women holding office around the world – only 17 countries have women as heads if state while 18 percent of ministers and 24 percent of parliamentarians globally are women.

“The economies that will succeed in the Fourth Industrial Revolution will be those that are best able to harness all their available talent,” founder and executive chairperson of the WEF, Klaus Schwab, said.

“Proactive measures that support gender parity and social inclusion and address historical imbalances are therefore essential for the health of the global economy as well as for the good of society as a whole,” Schwab concluded.